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The Meeting Critique
The Play
The Meeting is a play written by Jeff Stetson that portrays the theoretical meeting of Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The play’s opening scene shows both men on opposite sides of the stage with spotlights on them. They take turns speaking to make it seem as if these interactions are happening at separate locations and at different points in time. We can assume they’re being interviewed because we hear a voice offstage asking the men questions. However, in these interviews, neither man is known by the public for accomplishing anything, almost as if the revolution they created had never happened. Directly following, Malcom wakes up from his nightmare, which is what the audience just witnessed. Based on
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the interaction between Malcom and his bodyguard, Rashad, it is made clear that Malcom is waiting for Dr. King to come visit him, much to Rashad’s dismay. When Dr. King comes, Rashad thoroughly checks him over to make sure he has no weapons before leaving the two men alone to discuss. Malcom and Dr. King spend the majority of the play discussing and debating the issues they’re trying to solve and the different ways they’re trying to approach it. It is quickly made evident that there is a fair amount of tension and disagreement between the two men and they struggle to stay polite while still getting their opinions across. Malcom comments on how the biggest difference between the two men is that he wants blacks to unify while Dr. King wants blacks to love everybody, including whites, which Malcom finds ridiculous. At the end of the play, Dr. King gives Malcom a gift that he had brought with him; a doll. Dr. King’s daughter wanted Malcom’s daughter to have one of her dolls after she heard that their house had been bombed. After this, the men go out onto the balcony. They look over the city and realize they’re fighting for the same thing, freedom, and that they’re really on the same side of this war. In the final scene, Dr. King leaves Malcom no longer as enemies, but as allies, and maybe even friends. The very last thing we see is Malcom calling his wife and telling her that they’re going to spend more time together. This leaves a lasting effect on the audience, since we know he will be assassinated not too far into the future. The theme of the play is that people aren’t as different as we may think and to not judge someone before you get to know them. At the beginning of the play, Malcom and Dr. King clearly do not get along; one is driven by action while the other embraces peace. However, as the play progresses, the men come to realize that they’re fighting for the same issue, so the way they go about doing so shouldn’t matter. Although they initially seem so radically different, we get the chance to see that they’re fundamentally the same in that they just want freedom for their people. The central character in The Meeting is Malcom. The central conflict isn’t specifically made clear, but I believe that it is Malcom trying to get Dr. King to change his ways when it comes to the revolution both men are creating. Malcom tries his best to convince Dr. King that his peaceful methods aren’t going to solve anything and that it is just going to get him and his people killed. The conflict is resolved towards the end of the play when Malcom realizes that there is value to Dr. King’s peaceful approach and that one man’s way of going about things is not necessarily better than the other’s. The Performance Overall, I thought The Meeting was a great performance, mostly because of how believable the actors were. There are only three characters in the play; Malcom X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rashad. The actors that played these characters were not listed on the program, so I will just refer to them individually as “actor”. The first actor I will focus on is the one who played Malcom X.
Physically, he resembled the real life Malcom; tall, thin, and wears glasses. This physical resemblance helped the audience remember that the characters in the show were based on real people from the past. Appearance aside, the way the actor played his character was extremely authentic. What I found most enduring was how you could see the characters transformation throughout the play through the actors’ delivery of the lines. At the beginning of the play when he was talking with Dr. King, the actor gave his lines bitterly; we could hear his anger towards Dr. King in his voice when he spoke. However, as the play progressed and Malcom began to find respect for Dr. King, the way the actor spoke changed. Although you could still hear the passion in his voice, it was rooted in understanding rather than resentment. Also throughout the play, the actors’ facial expressions revealed how he thought and felt about what he was speaking …show more content…
about. The secondary primary actor in The Meeting played Dr.
King. Much like the actor who played Malcom X, the actor who played Dr. King physically resembled the real life doctor, which makes the show seem more historically accurate. Based on videos of speeches I’ve seen of Dr. King, the actor that played him delivered his lines just as the real man used to speak. The actor spoke with kindness and respect, even when talking about the grave issues discussed within the show. When speaking, the actor was fully absorbed in his conversation with Malcom, which make the performance exceptionally believable. The actor walked around the stage leisurely, which reflected the patience he had when speaking to
Malcom. The only secondary actor in this show played Malcom X’s body guard, Rashad. Although this actor had a smaller part than the other two actors, he still did a great job with the part. His character was obviously supposed to be protective over Malcom, and the actor adequately portrayed this through not only the tone of his voice, but by his body language as well. He stood like he was ready to attack at a moment’s notice and walked cautiously, as though danger could strike at any second. You could also tell by the actors’ tone of voice and the way that he delivered his lines that his character was very frustrated by Dr. King coming to visit Malcom; although he never came out and said it, the actor made it clear that he didn’t trust the whole idea of the meeting. The technical elements in this show were not overwhelmingly brilliant, but they accomplished what they needed to do. They mostly added to the overall performance and didn’t distract from it, which is the main goal of technical elements within a show. The set was a simple living room scene with a couch, arm chair, and small table with matching chairs taking up the majority of the room on stage. There was a painted backdrop of a city behind the set which they utilized towards the end of the paly to give the illusion of the balcony. The set was effective in portraying a hotel room, which is where the play took place. It was simple and realistic, which made us feel as if the events unfolding on stage could actually happen in everyday life. The simplicity of the set allowed us to focus more on the story and the actors, which I appreciated. The lights were one of the best technical elements within The Meeting. The spot lights at the beginning of the play were perfectly center of the actors and they went on and off seamlessly when transitioning between the two actors. During the balcony scene at the end of the play, the lights made it seem extremely believable. As the actors exited the “hotel” and went onto the “balcony”, the lights dimmed precisely in time with their movements. The lights were low enough to give us the illusion of being outside at night, but still bright enough to illuminate the actors. Also within the balcony scene, the sound aided to the authenticity of the scene. There were city noises, such as traffic and sirens, being played, but they weren’t overpowering the scene; they were simply background noises like they would be in a real city. However, I did not like the sound during the opening scene. When Malcom was waking up from his dream, they did strange sound effects like repeating his words and playing them over each other in order to show that he was in a dream. However, it was extremely unclear at first what the sounds was trying to accomplish and confused me more than anything. The costumes in The Meeting were what you’d expect. All three men wore suits that fit the time period the show took place in, which added to the authenticity of the performance. I couldn’t tell if the actors were wearing makeup or not, which is probably what the makeup designer was trying to accomplish; in everyday life, men don’t usually wear makeup to go meet other men. There weren’t very many props in the show, but I enjoyed what they did use, particularly the doll that Dr. King gave to Malcom X for his daughter. It looked like a doll you would have found in the 60’s and it looked worn, like King’s daughter had actually been playing with it. I also really enjoyed the chess set they used; again, it was fitting for the time period, but looked like it wasn’t a prop, but something that gets used it everyday life. Overall, I really enjoyed The Meeting; it captivated me from the opening scene and I was totally absorbed in it until the very last line. I believe the audience enjoyed it too because there was an immediate standing ovation once the show was over. It was entirely worth my time and if ever given the opportunity, I would love to see it performed again. The technical elements were satisfactory, but what really made the performance great was the actors’ portrayals of the characters and the overall theme of the show. The plays goal was to teach the audience a lesson, and I think it was extremely effective in expressing how we’re all not so different after all and to not judge a person before we get the chance to
Speeches are a method of persuading people to do something. For Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their speeches were to bring equality for the people of color. However, their approaches are different. Consequently, the effects may be different. An example of their contrasting differences is a speech from each, King’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Black Revolution”. Their speeches used pathos, a central metaphor, and a warning, but was presented differently.
Martin Luther King Jr's letter expresses a calm and nonviolent tone, in explaining his work and ideas. In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" it states, "….. The deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." He preaches against violent tension and action, in order to create civil relationships with the white community. On the other hand, Malcom X expresses his mood in an aggressive and careless manner. He feels that, blacks have been continuously deprived of rights, opportunities and responsibilities and that it is time to take action. "The Ballot or the Bullet" states, "….and that we don’t cast a ballot, it's going to end up in a situation where we're going to have to cast a bullet." Malcom is done compromising and wants to give a new interpretation, to take part in economics. Martin believes in a nonviolent approach while Malcom will do whatever means necessary in order to get
Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. came from a middle class home with two loving and supportive parents. He was born in Georgia, January 15, 1929. Dr. King Jr. was one of three children. The impact he had on black and white audiences changed the way they viewed segregation and unity. He was such a revolutionary orator that he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Malcom X’s outlook on race goes through many stages of change throughout his life. As a child, Malcom X was immediately categorized as black and poor, therefore being a lower class citizen and creating a lack of exposure and diversity of ideologies. As he grows up and meets new people he is introduced to different lifestyles and for once has an opportunity to choose what kind of life he is going to lead. This creates a young man who does not his own identity and is soul searching. Ideas are introduced to him slowly. Everybody he meets has something new and exciting to offer to him.
Attending an NA meeting during finals was one of my smarter decisions, as I procrastinate my work until the very last minute this week. However, in my opinion, going to a meeting was a good type of procrastination compared to other things I could be doing. Instead of going with the same friend this time, I asked a friend who was struggling with a ________ addiction. Not knowing that I was aware of his addiction, I asked him to join so I didn’t have to go alone; and he was more than happy to join me. I was very happy he agreed to join, because hopefully it helps him with his personal addiction, and he continues to return to the meetings.
Through making the audience realize this, he also gave them hope for a world reborn without racism, without segregation, without discrimination, and without hate. King wanted his children to live in a world without judgment of race, but with the consideration of personality, for nobody should not endure judgment because of the way that they look. He spoke of his own children, which introduced a reinforced emotional attachment to the audience; this gave many parents a scenario to relate to because no parent wants their child exposed to the horrid crimes of discrimination.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the appeal of ethos from the beginning until the end of his speech. Because he was talking about African-American people, his own race that were dealing with racism and discrimination. However, Dr. King uses all the rhetorical devices in many ways to the best of his ability to gain the favor of his audience, and he made an unforgettable and effectively speech that made an impact on America. His main purpose was to fight for the equal rights of African-American people and in order for him to do that, he aided the civil rights to help his own race to improve their
Perhaps one of his most sustained acts was his ability to represent the plight of African American rights while simultaneously portraying a palatable character to White America. In addition to leading various civil disobedience campaigns, he served as the movement’s main “strategist, theorist, and symbol maker” while also becoming the “movement’s chief interpreter to white Americans.” Stewart Burns actually goes so far as to suggest King, early on, realized his destiny was to be both a black Moses, delivering his brothers from the injustice of Jim Crow, as well as a Christ-like figure, offering equal measures of love, compassion, and forgiveness. This of course caused him to be disliked and criticized amongst some of the more nationalist and militant black leaders of the time, but inversely, allowed many Americans to sympathize with the movement’s main goals.
McClain, who played the Camae, the angel. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Camae is not a representation of any human in reality, therefore the actor has less restraint to express their creative freedom and artistic capabilities in an attempt to create an individual from scratch with no prior information on them as cheat sheet of persuasion. With the character of Martin Luther King Jr. one can proceed to fill in the objectives and tactics in accordance with the research on him and the aspects of his life which one should be conducted immediately, but with a character like Camae, you do not get that opportunity. Instead, you get the script and the end results depend on whether you're capable of thoroughly analyzing the character, picking up on what the playwright intends, and creating a person from scratch. Also, Camae serves as a storytelling device, that allows the audience to witness a more personal side of Dr. King which the public eye has never viewed. Not only does she show this idolized man as just a human, but she also represents the baton he passes in the fight for equality as she expresses her own views on racism, poverty, and the civil rights movement. She is important by demonstrating that anyone can reach out and help resolve injustice and inequality, even a maid can be as kind as an
to be more clearly presented. He made the scene of the poem less dream-like and more like an
Martin Luther King Jr. was definitely an influential speaker and writer. He was able to move people with his ideas and words. In his letter from the Birmingham jail he was trying to inform people of the injustices that African Americans were experiencing at this time. His audience was mainly the clergymen of the church. Since most Americans at this time believed that African Americans were uneducated and not on the same level as white Americans, MLK had to prove otherwise. MLK did this by using strong rhetoric in his speeches and letters. Two of the rhetoric styles that I feel was most effective were his use of logic and pathos. MLK knew that if he was going to make an impression on his audience he was going to have to bring his A game.
The AA meeting I attended took place at a church. The church that holds the meeting has a beginner AA meeting that meets Monday nights at 7 pm. However, I decided to go to the regularly meeting which takes place an hour later at 8 pm. I felt as though I would get more out of the regular meetings and get a sense of what regular AA members talk about. Before arriving at the meeting, I was a little anxious because I felt like as though I would be out of place, and I would be intruding on the members who come to the meetings for support. Also before attending, for some unknown reason, I imagined the meeting would to be similar to AA meeting featured in movies. Contrary to what I thought, the meeting was completely different. When I arrived at
He had good diction and projection during the play. In the black box, they did not have microphones, so the audience had to be silent in order to listen to the actors. Marquis had no problem with his words and yelling at times to emphasis words. During the play, he made it clear how he felt towards certain individuals. He had crushes on some of the other characters, while others he despised with hatred. He was very consistent when taking different forms of his character. Making his character be believable and be a mad man as they wanted the audience to think. With his different laughs and facial expressions are what made it be so realistic, he was playing the part not just doing it. Although his accent was believable and mostly consistent there were a few times he lost it when getting quiet or loud with his voice. The actor showed he was confident on stage, reason for this is he got completely naked in front of a live
In conclusion, ineffective meetings can have a significant negative impact on an organization. That impact can range from a lack of knowledge due to inefficiencies, loss
Meetings take place at every organization just about every day. How each organization plans, executes and follows up on their meetings ultimately helps decide on how effective the group can be. As organizations conduct meetings, understanding obstacles such as the seven deadly sins of meetings, can help leaders and meeting planners circumvent potential issues and focus on creating positive meeting atmospheres. Focusing on number four in the seven deadly sins of meetings, nothing happens once the meeting ends, can greatly improve the positive momentum of most meetings. While meetings can have many hurdles, but with focus and action leaders can overcome obstacles by ensuring that action is being taken. Leaders and meeting facilitators can ensure action will be taken by understanding and following four simple steps.